Stop Government Abuse Act
Latest action · Sep 9, 2013 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 31, 2013
- Passed HouseAug 1, 2013
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)
Stop Government Abuse Act - Title I: Common Sense In Compensation - (Sec. 102) Prohibits the payment of certain discretionary monetary payments or performance awards to federal employees during any period of sequestration. Allows the head of an agency to waive the prohibition: (1) relating to performance awards, subject to the approval of the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); and (2) relating to discretionary payments, if such prohibition would violate the terms of a collective bargaining agreement.
Title II: Government Employee Accountability - (Sec. 202) Sets forth investigative leave requirements for federal employees in the competitive service and Senior Executive Service (SES) career employees. Defines "investigative leave" as a temporary absence without duty for disciplinary reasons, for up to 90 days.
Authorizes a federal agency to place an employee on investigative leave: (1) without loss of pay and without charge to annual or sick leave only for misconduct, neglect of duty, malfeasance, or misappropriation of funds; or (2) without pay if such employee's conduct is determined to be flagrant and the employee engaged in such conduct intentionally.
Requires an agency head to: (1) review the investigation into an employee's misconduct, neglect of duty, malfeasance, or misappropriation of funds at the end of each 45-day investigative period; (2) report on such review to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs not later than 5 business days after the end of each 45-day period; and (3) remove, suspend without pay, or reinstate or restore such employee to duty at the end of the investigative leave period. Allows an agency to extend a period of investigative leave for an additional period not to exceed 90 days.
Grants an employee placed on investigative leave certain rights, including: (1) 30 days' advance written notice of, and a reasonable time (not less than 7 days) to answer, charges; (2) the right to be represented by an attorney; and (3) the right to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).
Allows an agency head to remove an SES employee for serious neglect of duty, misappropriation of funds, or malfeasance if the agency head: (1) determines that the employee knowingly acted in a manner that endangers the interest of the agency mission, (2) considers the removal to be necessary or advisable in the interests of the United States, and (3) determines that other procedures authorizing removal are not efficient. Grants such employees notice and appeal rights.
(Sec. 204) Includes misappropriation of funds as a ground in suspending or reinstating an SES employee or placing such employee in another civil service position.
Title III: Citizen Empowerment - (Sec. 301) Grants individuals who are the target of enforcement actions by executive agency employees the right to record in-person and telephonic interactions. Requires that notice of such right be included in any written material provided to an individual concerning an audit, investigation, inspection, or enforcement action that could result in civil or criminal penalties or the collection of an unpaid tax. Requires each executive agency to post on its website information explaining the right of individuals to record interactions with agency employees.
Recorded votes 1
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House 436 | On Passage | Passed239–176 | Aug 1, 2013 |
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Jul 31, 2013.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-NC | Mark Meadows | Original | Jul 31, 2013 |
| R-PA | Mike Kelly | Original | Jul 31, 2013 |
Committees 3
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Oversight and Government Reform Committee | Referred Jul 31, 2013 |
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jul 31, 2013 |
| Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee | Referred Aug 1, 2013 | |
| Senate | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee | Referred Sep 9, 2013 |
Actions 12
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 9, 2013Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Aug 1, 2013Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
- Aug 1, 2013Rule H. Res. 322 passed House.
- Aug 1, 2013Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 322. (consideration: CR H5296-5306)
- Aug 1, 2013In each case the rule provides for one hour of debate on the bill and one motion to recommit for each bill.
- Aug 1, 2013DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 2879.
- Aug 1, 2013The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule. (consideration: CR H5305)
- Aug 1, 2013Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 239 - 176 (Roll no. 436). (text: CR H5296-5298)
- Aug 1, 2013Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Jul 31, 2013Introduced in House
- Jul 31, 2013Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Jul 31, 2013Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 322 Reported to House. In each case the rule provides for one hour of debate on the bill and one motion to recommit for each bill.
In the Congressional Record 3
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E1216 | Chris Van Hollen D-MD | Aug 2, 2013 |
| House | Debate and remarks H5272, H5273, H5276–H5285, H5296–H5306Text printed H5276, H5296–H5298Amendments H5284Recorded votes H5293, H5294, H5306consideration (H. Res. 322), previous questionenactDeclaratory Statements H5349 | Bill Johnson R-OH, Danny K. Davis D-IL, Darrell Issa R-CA, Eleanor Holmes Norton D-DC, Elijah E. Cummings D-MD, Eric Cantor R-VA, Gerald E. Connolly D-VA, Jackie Speier D-CA, James P. Moran D-VA, Kerry L. Bentivolio R-MI, Louise McIntosh Slaughter D-NY (amendment), Lynn Jenkins R-KS, Mark Meadows R-NC, Mike Kelly R-PA, Steny H. Hoyer D-MD, Stephen F. Lynch D-MA, Tom Cole R-OK | Aug 1, 2013 |
| House | Declaratory Statements H5263 | — | Jul 31, 2013 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H5261.
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To provide limitations on bonuses for Federal employees during sequestration, to provide for investigative leave requirements for members of the Senior Executive Service, to establish certain procedures for conducting in-person or telephonic interactions by Executive branch employees with individuals, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Stop Government Abuse Act
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Stop Government Abuse Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Administrative remedies
- Congressional oversight
- Employee leave
- Federal officials
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government studies and investigations
- Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
- Sound recording
- Telephone and wireless communication
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Sep 9, 2013Referred in Senate
- Aug 1, 2013Engrossed in House
- Jul 31, 2013Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
